NerfNation denied the blaster you mention existing, and then deleted the pics and comment on their FB page when fans posted a tirade of pics and videos.

Yeah, which is sad, but it's their standard mode of operations to pretend to know nothing about the existence of leaked blasters.

I also noticed the article about the temporary retail release of the RapidStrike being a mistake, but hey retailers messing up is how leaked stuff gets into our hands.  The first "leaked" blaster I ever bought was right on US soil when Toys 'R Us messed up and sold the Nitron over a month early on their website.  It was pulled and turned into a preorder page in less than 24 hrs, but they honored and shipped the orders that had already been made.

All I know is over 90% of the comments on the RapidStrike and HammerShot videos are variations on "I want this" or "Where did you get this", so Hasbro can feel confident that they've got a couple of bona fide hits on their hands when they hit stores.

Question, on international flywheel blasters, how do they limit the range to the usual safe 20 meters? Is there some sort of resistor in it?

20m is just a nice round number for the box art.  They're the same 75ft model we get in the US.  On the back of my UK edition Stockade they had fine print saying the range was really 22m or 23m, can't remember which off the top of my head.  Only the 15m grey triggers seem to have some sort of extra limiting, however I thought UT recently posted about the grey triggers getting re-labeled as 20m, so I dunno what the deal there is.

The IMR are not going to do anything to (flywheel) top speed and little to range. Idle current at the voltages involved can be easily supplied by the ICR trustfires.

The real benefit will be torque, measured by recovery/windup time.

Also, consider the effects of undersized stock wiring and cell holder contacts. I would use a rewired Stryfe for comparison. The stock Nerf battery boxes have better contacts from what I have seen than the ones people use for rigging fire packs.

Don't overvolt RM2s! >5v causes damage and >2S will blow them up very fast especially with current available.

I would expect a Rapidstrike range boost in full auto.

Thanks! Exactly why I asked. I've got a fully rewired Rayven with Barricade motors, so would that be the way to go?

Interesting observation I just made with the RapidStrike. Just in general on any voltage, the flywheels rev at one level when you just hold down the rev trigger and they speed up when you actually pull the trigger. I hadn't dry-fired the blaster before, so I hadn't noticed. Good to see Nerf thinking about the detrimental effects of full auto on flywheel ranges.

Ok, I've got my IMR 14500s, and I'm trying to think of the best way to test them versus Trustfires.  My thinking is I'll do comparative range testing with a few different blasters.  Blasters I'm thinking of are stock Elite Rayven, Stryfe with RM2s, and the RapidStrike.  Batteries would be alkaline AAs, Eneloops, Trustfires, and the IMRs of course.  Regular range test with full revs between shots and rapid fire tests.  Sound good?  I was figuring I'd just go all out with 4 cells for each test, but I can do the whole range if that would be useful.  Just means it will either be a marathon long video or I'll split it into a few by blaster.

I'm looking for input, because I want this to be as useful for you guys as possible, and I know I don't know as much about the battery stuff as other people.  Let me know what you would like to see!

First impression just throwing four IMRs into the RapidStrike versus four Trustfires sounded about the same.  Not sure how much of a difference IMRs versus Trustfires will make in stock blasters.  I figure the real winner will be with the RM2s.

Today is just good Nerf news all around!

MLD, once again bringing us the latest info!  Glad to see Hasbro is releasing at least some info from the NDA!  I was getting worried all we were getting today was making the Centurion official, so it's nice to see the under barrel attachments getting some love!

Very glad to see I was right about how my acquisitions ended up in the commerce stream. Unauthorized early sales, yes. Stolen by a black market from the factory, no.

Yeah the TR-001 is what I'm rocking, so it shouldn't be an issue.

Another field to look into for you loose Li-ion cell junkies, are alternative Li-ion chemistries - LiFePO4, and lithium manganese (IMR). Both of those can make a 14500 pack work a lot better than trustfires. You only have to watch out for the cell holders and their resistance at that point. The Baidu tester reportedly used 4S LiFePO4 and from what I can tell he didn't have the serious problems with bogging down flywheel speed as RS09 did with the 4s test (using TFs).

Thanks for the heads up!  Did a little bit of reading and it looks like the LiFePO4s wouldn't necessarily be terribly much better than the trustfires as far as current goes, but those IMRs look to be champs for higher amp delivery.  Seems like that comes at the expense of capacity, but I'm going to bite the bullet and buy a set to test out and report back on.  The cells seem to cost about double what trustfires do, but if they're night-and-day better, then I'll certainly be phasing out the TFs.  Nice part is they will charge with the same charger, so I at least don't have to get a new one of those.  IMRs also sound like they're much safer than the regular TFs.  I've never had an issue with Trustfires, but I like the idea of not having to worry about it.

I think packs are a great idea, but loose cells fit my needs better.

Alternatively, these.  http://dx.com/p/protected-25500-3-7v-5500mah-rechargeable-lithium-battery-26799

What are thoughts on larger Li-Ion cells?

Odds are to make it work properly you would need this version, which doesn't have the protection circuit.  Larger cells would be better for capacity certainly, so you could go longer between battery swaps.  For me I probably won't be getting them just because the cost of one 25500 is a little less than a set of four 14500s, and I'd need a new charger to support the larger cells.  With the 14500s I already have they'll work for all battery powered Nerf blasters, the 25500s would only work for the C-cell powered blasters, so no go with the Rayven and Stryfe.

If you're only going to be running a RS, or other large capacity blaster then the 25500s might be worth the investment.  Otherwise it's worth the extra battery swaps to have the versatility of the 14500s.

Can you confirm that you do in fact get four of these per pack?  The picture shows four of them but nowhere on the page does it actually say how many of them you get.

Yep that link is the exact listing I bought mine from and it's a 4-pack.

Just wanted to give a heads up for people who were looking ahead to the RapidStrike CS-18, and wanting to use different batteries other than the stock C-cells.  If you're going to be using Trustfires or anything AA sized you may wish to have a set of AA-to-C converter shells.  Learn from my mistake and DO NOT get this style of converter shell:



The problem with this clamshell design is there ends up being too much plastic on the ends, so with how the battery trays are designed on Nerf blasters, the battery terminals don't end up touching and you've got nothing.

The type of shells you want are the ones where the AA/14500 just slides in the middle, because they don't interfere with the end-to-end size of the batteries, and they can make the proper contacts. 



The exact ones I have now that I'm using in the RapidStrike are these, but as you can see from the picture they come in brand name flavors as well.  Reading reviews, it would seem that the ones I have might be too wide for use in some applications (some flashlights I guess?), but they work fine in Nerf, so I don't see any reason to waste the money on a name.

As you can see in my modded RS-18 video, you can use AA size cells without any holders in the RS battery tray and they will stay put thanks to the incredibly aggressive springs they have in there.  The downside there is that if your blaster receives a solid hit, then the batteries will shift just enough to break the connection.  I was surprised though with how hard a whack I had to give the blaster before the connection was broken.

Hope this helps folks that are going to be looking at adding a RapidStrike to their arsenal when they become more widely available!

As for what to do when you decide that you want to carry a bunch of things: I recommend molle (pronounced like Molly, if you haven't heard of it) gear. You can get simple and well designed tac vests/harnesses and a few pouches that will hold things securely to you so you can still move without a lot of jostling. There's also plenty of slings out there that can help. I have a Magpul sling that works OK, but not great. Upside is that it was cheap, and gets the job done. There's also the "Irene Adaptive Sling" which is great for keeping your blaster tight.

Here's a review of the sling, it's long, but informative http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TQ38MaEyBg

I'm the one with the IAS sling, which has always done me right. However, the mash hooks are not friendly with the stock Nerf sling attachment points, so you'll want to keep that in mind.

I'm going to hold off making recommendations for now, because I've got a big order from Limey Tactical on the way, and I imagine that will completely take over my load out.

MOLLE is a great way to go if you don't mind spending money on the game. Seeing as you're just starting out it's a good investment if you're going to play your whole college career.

On 4 Trustfires that thing is spectacular. Any obvious signs of impending meltdown, burning smell or anything?

Seems like a perfect combination of range and ROF. I'm not going to say 'game changer' as several pages of great discussion elaborated on, but it's clearly the best way to be effective 'out of the box' for new players.

Can you confirm that the stock does NOT lock in the shortest position? It looks like from the video you were able to extend the stock without pressing the release (obviously it locks in the extended position)

-Limey

No odor, even on four trustfires.  I'm not going to take that to mean it wouldn't have issues with sustained use at that voltage, but it's a good sign for durability.

The stock is "locked" into the short position, but firmly pulling on it extends it to the out position without using the release.  Think like how the Raider stock works, but it takes a bit more of a pull to extend it without using the release.  However, once extended you do need to use the release to shorten it again, or at least it can't be forced closed without more force than I want to try (not going to hit it with a hammer or anything :-p)

Something not demonstrated in the video, but I know you guys will consider important is that even on that high voltage the blaster is 100% controllable.  Tapping the trigger gives you a single shot, holding the trigger down slightly longer than that gives you a two dart burst, and obviously keeping it held down gives you full-auto.  This means no ammo wasting issues, which I thought would be the saving grace for the HvZ balance of this blaster.  Now that I've gotten a chance to have hands on time with the blaster, I definitely find myself in the camp that was saying it is going to be a monster in the hands of good players.  Still not a game changer/breaker, but it will definitely be a source of frustration for zombies.

[Post Merge: May 21, 2013, 06:09:44 PM]

Anyways, the Tek Recon line has hit kickstarter (or rather, been there for about a week or so): http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/graemebissett/tek-recon-the-first-real-life-video-game
And a link to their youtube page, which shows the promo videos as well as how to load the ammo into the blaster and a firing demonstration of the Hammerhead:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm-RoEL0bWNG8JXsXLr47nw/videos

Other then the lack of spamming shots (which could still be possible, just not shown in the demonstrations) and recovering the NRG rounds being less than ideal, these blasters seem like they could make a name for themselves in HvZ. Dual-wielding pistols with 25 rounds each that are smaller than the Stryfe? Sounds awesome.

To be honest, I'm looking forward to these more then I am the Centurion and Rapidstrike.

Not so much for HvZ, but just regular blaster battles for me on this one.  I can't see too many games approving these, because with the NRG rounds I would think you've got a higher risk of damage should someone unfortunately get hit in the eye.  However, we'll know better about that once we can get our hands on them.

In any event, I backed immediately when the Kickstarter went live, and I'm really excited to check these out!
Post Merge: May 21, 2013, 06:09:44 PMOk, folks, here’s the deal.  I’ve had some time to check with multiple people about some Nerf blasters I purchased recently, even to the extent of getting a professional opinion on the matter (I take the implication of legal prosecution very seriously).

First off, as I already knew, but it’s always nice to get confirmation, as far as making and distributing my review videos, there is no legal issue.  As such those will be up on my channel.

The only potential issue would be from knowingly purchasing stolen property, which I did not.  If the blasters in question were stolen somewhere in the chain of events that led them to come into my possession, I would be very sorry to hear that.  As I’ve said from the start of this mess, I want no part of stolen goods.  If there had been anything in the listings suggesting that they were stolen, I would not have purchased them.  I figure that when blasters become available for sale on a major shopping site I’m looking at the leading edge of Hasbro/Nerf’s notorious “soft-releases” which always seem to happen in countries in that part of the world.  Obviously, I will be exercising more caution when making international purchases in the future.

The general consensus from multiple sources has been we’re not looking at an Urban Taggers 2.0 situation.  Ultimately, only Hasbro itself can make that decision, but I hope they see me as a friend generating excitement for their products.  At the end of the day, I’m just a really passionate Nerf fan trying to share my favorite hobby with others.  I was into Nerf and modding well before HvZ came onto the scene.  HvZ has just been an amazing outlet to use my blasters, and meet a bunch of awesome fellow Nerf fans.


That said here you go:

HammerShot stock range test
RapidStrike CS-18 stock range test
RapidStrike CS-18 modded range test

As you may have guessed with the drama that ensued from the HammerShot video, I delayed posting the RapidStrike videos.  These products came from different listings, and now seeing this from BasicNerf, I’m at least feeling better at least about the RapidStrike being the soft-release product I thought I was getting.  The RapidStrike did come with full-retail packaging.  I declined the box to save on the international shipping, but I do have the instructions.

…I know what you’re thinking, and no.  I don’t have a Centurion, and with this whole mess I won’t be getting one without near certainty that what I’m purchasing is a retail unit.

With regards to the video itself, ranges seem pretty similar to other Elite products, right? Strongarm-like?

Let's talk about happy stuff instead of drama for the time being!

The reason why I wanted to get the video out ASAP is I am in love with this blaster!  Zombie theme aside, we're effectively looking at a Spectre that can be easily operated with one hand, and gets Elite ranges!  If it was only coming out as the Rebelle Wildshot I would still be making it my secondary without hesitation.  Not quite as much punch as the Strongarm, but in my tests that one has shown itself to be one of the more exceptionally ranged blasters.  The HammerShot still has more than enough power to get the job done.

(I've rewritten my response several times in an attempt to make it less incendiary...)

This. A thousand times this.

A physical product was found for sale, in another country, it was purchased, shipped and then filmed. Not resold. I'm familiar with this toy, and even I don't believe it to be stolen, the general public (what a lawyer would call the Reasonable Man test) even less so. I'm assuming value is under $5000. There was no contractual obligation on the part of the recipient to restrict disclosure. IANAL but I don't see any possible way Hasbro could have legal recourse. They could make a horrible mess like with Urban Taggers, which hurt their brand, solved nothing, changed nothing and made them look like jack-booted thugs in the mainstream media (not just the Nerf community.)

Who said it was stolen? Seriously. An actual quote. What is the person's name? What is their relationship to Hasbro?

I understand that this may hurt MLD professionally and personally, because he did sign an NDA, but this doesn't change the circumstances at all.

I would understand if Hasbro in the future decided not to extend favors to RS09, that's totally up to them, but as far as I'm aware he has no established professional relationship with Hasbro.

With regards to the video itself, ranges seem pretty similar to other Elite products, right? Strongarm-like?

-Limey

Yeah, I'm trying to get a confirmation from Hasbro through other channels on the stolen nature of this product.  If it was stolen, then I'll keep the video down for a while for the reason I already said.  Otherwise it'll be going back up.

Hasbro has never reached out to me professionally, so I have to buy all of my blasters myself, which does sometimes include importing them because of how long it can take for stuff to show up in my area, and I don't want to be left in the dust.  The plus side of this is that I most certainly do not have any sort of NDA, so I am under no obligation not to make information available as soon as I get it on the couple occasions I have been able to find blasters that have only previously been seen as leaks in China.  Now even not having a NDA, my attitude is certainly not "Screw you Hasbro, you got nothing!"  I'll say it again, I'm a Nerf fan, so I'm not going to be putting any information out there that I feel would harm the brand.  I know the difference between leaking info that generates excitement about an product, and leaking info that contains design information potentially gives advantages to competitors.  That is why I would never post internal photos for a blaster that hasn't yet seen commercial release.  I am under no obligation not to post that information, but I actively choose not to out of respect for Hasbro.

Also, I really hope I haven't pissed off any any of my fellow Nerf content makers.  I'm not out to "scoop" anyone or hoard information.  I make videos to get information out to all Nerf fans alike, and I actively encourage people to feel free to put the videos on their own blogs and add their own thoughts.